Theo was with a group of dragons that basked in the sun, talking quietly of the most recent successful hunting areas, potential pupils, possible pairings…
That poor hatchling, she mourned still, though it was weeks after her traumatic discovery of the dead young one.
How can they lay here, talking about such small things when there are young ones at risk? she criticized. How is it that a hatchling can go stumbling into the creek and drown without anyone noticing before it’s too late?
I’ve started to enjoy being a dragon- accepting the firesap, winning a wrestling match…I used to be so bored as a human. Life was so dull. Still…
She was about to leave when she noticed the dragons around her picking up a scent. Their conversation had died out. They held their heads up with mouths slightly agape, tasting the air. Wondering what it was they smelled, Theo did the same.
When she breathed in, an entire forest of scents came swirling into her mouth- pine trees, running water, wet dirt, dry sand, oak wood…But the most prominent of them all was the scent that carried downwind. It was strongly familiar, except something was different.
“Do you smell human?” Lichen asked. “It must be that man who lives near the Archway…What is his name?”
“Damon,” Theo answered him. She’d never realized just how strong a man smelled until she became a dragon.
“That’s not Damon’s scent,” Jacinth said, walking up to them. “This odor isn’t as…musty.” She narrowed her eyes.
“You think there’s a stranger here?” Lichen was alarmed.
“There was a stranger here,” Jacinth corrected him. “Whoever it was must have left a little while ago. The breeze just now picked up, wafting his scent our way.”
“Then we should go investigate,” Theo suggested, standing up. Sky, who had been very quiet ever since the tragedy, followed Theo with her somber gaze.
“Damn right we’re going to investigate,” Wolfe snarled nearby, leaping up.
The dragons looked at each other and rose.
Jacinth took the lead, tracking down the way by scent. Wolfe beat her wings in flight above them, practicing her growl and swiping at thin air.
When they passed Adder, he asked them where they were going. He said he had noticed the smell too, and now decided to join them.
Soon they came upon the creek. Theo took note of how significantly lower the water level was than it used to be.
Wolfe sailed to the other bank. Theo was thankful when others decided to trek their way across the water instead.
As they made their way up towards the mountain range alongside the creek, the scent became stronger. Theo no longer had to part her jaws to grasp it.
They were almost at the foot of the mountains and the trees were beginning to thin out when Jacinth stopped. She swung her head from side to side, trying to locate the exact source.
At the base of one thick tree, the ground was dug out to form a hollow space, held together by tree roots. Other dragon burrows dotted the area around them, but many of them were empty. Theo did not know why the dragons dug so many nests, only to lay their eggs in a selective few. She assumed they were just being picky.
Jacinth stared hard into the burrow at the trunk of the tree. It was heartening to see four speckled eggs nestled deep inside, each about ten times the size of a chicken’s egg.
“Whose clutch is this?” Jacinth asked. Her body was rigid stiff, as though something was very wrong.
“It’s mine, why?!” Sky panicked, thrusting her head forward. After she had a good look inside, she exclaimed, “The fifth is missing!”
Theo froze. No…she thought. No, Sky’s been through enough already. She can’t handle another loss!
“Listen,” Jacinth called attention. “Whoever stole Sky’s egg must be back in human territory by now. No human’s going to raise one of us under their command. And with so many clutches ending up as stones, we already face possible extinction.”
Theo didn’t quite understand that last part, but the other dragons agreed, bounding for the Archway. Theo was about to follow but, as she passed the robbed nest, something caught her eye. In the fine dust at the mouth of the burrow was the clear imprint of a small hand. She stared at it, entranced.
How very small it is, she marveled. Surely it belongs to a child!
Hurriedly, she ran to catch up.
. . .
Each of them had to crouch to get through the Archway, one at a time. With the water so low, the hidden entrance was no longer submerged completely. Light shone through a thin gap where the water did not reach. Every time a dragon went under, the water rose and slapped the top of the yawning. Theo was the last to enter human territory, blinking in the brightness of the sun as she came up.
The dragons lined the bank of Iron Creek, all alert and watchful of the unfamiliar woods. Theo waded her way across to join them.
Over the slow running water, Theo thought she heard something. Her heart quickened as she recognized it as human voices.
Theo mounted the bank, pulling up alongside Jacinth.
“Jacinth,” Theo whispered. “Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?” Jacinth whipped her head around.
I was raised listening to humans, Theo thought. Maybe I’m quicker at detecting their voices.
“Here, come this way,” she hushed, guiding Jacinth farther away from the water. She was aware of the rest following close behind.
Theo listened, trying to make out the words. Jacinth was picking up on it too, tilting her head and keeping perfectly still.
“-and you found this?” a man was saying.
“Y-yes,” a young boy’s voice wavered in response.
“Did you see anything? A dragon?” another man asked, eagerly. They sounded just beyond a thick cluster of pine trees, not far away.
“N-n-no.” The boy sounded shaken. “B-but they were there…I could feel it.”
“Good job, lad.” There was the sound of a pat on the back. “We have to tell the king that we found a way past those damn plants!”
There was a murmur of agreements. The boy coughed.
“‘Ere, boy! You gotta come with us so you can tell your tale to the king himself! Keep hold of this egg here. I’m sure he’ll be right glad if you showed him your find.”
The boy started stuttering a response, but the dragons already heard all that they needed. Jacinth looked at Adder, who acknowledged her with confirmation, and the dragons took their silent move forward.
Jacinth, Sky, Wolfe, and Theo all stood together, directly behind the trees, while Adder and Lichen stalked around to the backs of their targets, unseen.
Between the pine needles, Theo could see three woodsmen and the boy. The three men were just standing up from their makeshift circle of tree stumps and rocks. Theo guessed the boy to be only nine years old or so. He sat, shivering wet with a pelt draped over his shoulders for warmth. In his hands, he held the stolen dragon egg. It was patterned with a flurry of speckles of browns, greens, and beige.
Beside Theo, Wolfe curled back her lips in a silent snarl.
From the corner of her eye, Theo saw Jacinth open her mouth. Suddenly, a wall of flames crackled before them, obstructing the humans’ view of them like a fiery curtain.
The men shouted in surprise, jumping away and staring. As one, Jacinth, Sky, Wolfe, and Theo stepped out into the flames. Wolfe dropped down into a crouch, her snarl now audible.
“You’ve made a grave mistake, Child!” Jacinth yelled. “Hand it over!” The boy leapt to his feet, letting the egg thud to the ground, its fall softened by tufts of moss.
The adults scattered, hollering out when Adder and Lichen came out of nowhere, but they were allowed to pass. The boy tried to run too, but Adder swiftly snagged his tunic and dragged him back over.
Crying out, the child kicked and tried to wriggle free, but Adder had his jaws locked tight onto his clothes. The dragons gathered around, Wolfe barking with sharp laughter at the child’s struggle. Theo moved s
omewhat farther away from her.
Sky rushed to her egg, cautiously turning it over with one talon to examine it for cracks. Its thick shell appeared to be unharmed.
“Jacinth?” Lichen spoke up. “How are we going to get that back to its nest? None of us can handle it without breaking it.”
“That’s why we have this child.” Adder spat the boy out, who fell to the ground with the back of his tunic stretched out and pierced by Adder’s teeth. Theo was relieved to see that the boy himself was not hurt.
“When are we going to kill him?” Wolfe snickered under her breath. Theo walked away from her to the other side of the circle without a word.
The boy held his breath, pressing himself hard against the cold ground, his face drained of color as Jacinth began talking to him. Theo was reminded of when she’d first seen Wycker speak. How long ago that feels!
“What is your name, young man?” Jacinth asked him, sounding like a stern mother.
The child said nothing, just stared.
Jacinth lowered her head closer to him. “Your name?” she repeated.
“Xander.” His voice was dry and so quiet that Theo could barely make it out.
“You’ve got yourself in a mess, Xander,” Jacinth growled.
“I’m sorry!” He gasped for breath. “I wouldn’t have taken it if I knew it was yours- I swear I wouldn’t have!”
“Good,” she snorted, giving him some more space. “Now you just have to put it back and we will leave you be.”
“What?!” Wolfe cried, but the others ignored her.
“No-” Xander recoiled. “No, no, no. Please don’t make me go back there! They made me go there once already, said they’d pay me. I just wanted to buy food, that’s all!”
“Are you going hungry?” Theo asked, concerned.
“I’m going hungry,” Wolfe complained.
“Shut up, Wolfe,” Jacinth ticked irritably. Then, picking up on Theo’s maternal approach, she cooed, “Xander, we need you to carry this egg back for us.”
The boy didn’t respond and Jacinth looked to Theo for help.
She needs the human in me, Theo thought, slowly approaching. So we can get this kid on his feet…
“Come on, get up,” Theo tried, wincing as Xander snapped his head around to look at her, startled.
He shook his head desperately. “No, please,” he pleaded.
Finally, Adder lost his patience. He lifted the boy up off the ground again by the tunic and Xander started shouting, “Alright! Alright!”
Xander’s feet brushed the ground and Adder opened his mouth in release, causing the child to stumble forward before regaining balance.
“The egg…” Jacinth reminded him and Xander crept over to pick it up.
“Good,” she sighed. “Let’s move.”
Xander staggered along, sticking close to Jacinth’s side as Wolfe slinked right next to him.
“If you drop that,” Wolfe taunted him, “I’ll kill you. If you take one wrong step, I will kill you.”
“Get lost, Wolfe,” Jacinth snapped.
“Fine,” Wolfe muttered, running ahead to pass Adder up for the lead.
Xander’s steps were jittery and he clutched the egg as though it were a lifeline.
“The poor child…” Theo murmured to Lichen and Sky, bringing up the rear. “He’s a complete wreck.” She gazed around to check the safety of their entrance.
Wolfe, followed by Adder, disappeared to the other side of the Archway. Jacinth looked down at Xander.
“Go on,” she told him.
He stared up at her, terrified. “But that one called Wolf-” he started, appalled.
“I’m right behind you,” Jacinth assured him, looking back at Theo as the boy ducked under.
Theo nodded to her. “Not bad,” she said.
Jacinth smiled, and went through the Archway herself.
“Do humans know dragons can talk?” Lichen asked to no one in particular as they waded their way through the valley.
Theo took a moment to determine whether she should answer or not. He doesn’t know I used to be a human, she reminded herself. “No-” she began, then decided to rephrase so that she didn’t sound so confident. “I don’t think they do.”
“But now they know.” Lichen took on a smug expression.
Theo breathed in deeply. “Yeah,” she agreed. “Now they know.”
Chapter 13